Some Traditions
by LaChoy
Summary: There are many ways to get rid of bad tastes. Soubi knows this well enough. Some RitsukaSoubi. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** I do not have any rights to Loveless. Blah blah blah.

**Notes:** I was eating chocolate kisses and remembering all the stories based on them. I wanted my own.

* * *

Ritsuka didn't understand the point of Valentines Day at his age. It wasn't as if any of the relationships his classmates made would last. It wasn't even as if they understood love or meant any of the words they were saying so carelessly.

But the candy was good. That was the only reason why he accepted it from the few girls that had given him any. Ignoring their words and muttering a thanks in return. He'd have a treat for tonight and then the day would be over. Completely forgotten until the next year.

"Ritsuka?"

Yuiko was standing in front of him, her hands behind her.

"What?"

"Umm…" She seemed nervous. At least more than usual. Although the girl was his friend, her uncertainty always bothered him.

"Just say what you're going to say," Ritsuka urged. The girl really needed to follow that advice better.

"Here!" She pushed her hands in front of the boy's face, his purple eyes surveying what was in them. Chocolate. But it didn't look like the crappy attempts at homemade chocolate the other girls had tried. "It isn't homemade. I tried but it didn't turn out so well." That explained it well enough. "So I bought you my favorite candy! Kisses! You're my friend so I wanted to give you chocolate!"

The catboy heard Yayoi let out a disappointed groan from behind him and felt a momentary wave of empathy for him. He had received no chocolates and especially, none from Yuiko. The girl was being horribly cruel without knowing. After all, she had only given Ritsuka chocolate. Nobody else.

"Maybe you should give these to Yayoi?"

The pink-haired girl blinked in a confused manner. "Why?"

An even more anguished groan come from the other boy and Ritsuka sighed. It was no use.

"Never mind. Thanks for the chocolates." He managed a smile and that seemed to please Yuiko because she sat back down to her seat and began chatting about some random topic.

--

"Happy Valentines Day, Ritsuka," Soubi greeted as soon as Ritsuka saw him.

"Mmph, thanks."

Ritsuka continued walking; knowing Soubi would follow and could hear the footsteps making their way next to him.

"You don't sound too happy. Did you not get any chocolate from any girls?" It was a teasing question and Ritsuka glared at the older man before turning his head away in an irritated huff.

"No. I got chocolates. From three girls and Yuiko."

"You say Yuiko separately," Soubi noted, his eyes seeming to twinkle with what appeared to be amusement. Soubi was infuriating.

"What does it matter?"

"Isn't Yuiko a girl as well?" There was still that stupid twinkle.

"Yeah?" What was Soubi playing at?

"Hmm," the ash-haired man murmured, looking away and not saying anymore. His body language telling the boy he wouldn't give anymore information. Soubi was _really _infuriating.

They continued to walk in silence, Ritsuka trying to think about what Soubi could have possibly meant but coming up with absolutely nothing. He wondered if maybe Soubi was saying things he couldn't understand because he had seven years on him. Ritsuka felt himself glowering at that. Stupid Soubi.

"Come on," Ritsuka said, taking Soubi's hand and leading him to a bench near the park. "I want to eat some of my chocolate." _I want to get your stupid comments out of my mind._

"Whatever you wish, Ritsuka."

"Don't say things like that," the younger said, sitting down on the bench as Soubi sat down next to him.

"Whatever you wish."

Ritsuka gave his fighter another glare. Soubi only smiled in return. Ritsuka decided to ignore that smile and just get to eating his chocolate and trying one of the homemade ones first. As he opened the package, a note fell out and Soubi picked it up.

"Aren't you going to read your love note?"

"No." The chocolate looked a little burnt. Was it even edible? He sniffed it suspiciously.

"'Ritsuka, you're so cool and every time I see you, my heart beats really fast. Like doki doki doki doki! I know I'm not as cool as you but I really wish you could return my feelings'," Soubi stated, reading from the note. "Hmm, this girl seems to really like you."

Ritsuka snatched the note away harshly and threw it in the garbage bin next to the bench.

"No she doesn't. She only thinks I'm good looking or something. I've never even talked to her."

"You are very good looking, Ritsuka."

"Soubi! Don't say weird things!" Ritsuka whined, looking away so the other man couldn't see the blush developing on his cheeks. He put the piece of chocolate in his mouth before quickly spitting it out. "Ew! Too sweet! Gah! My teeth are going to rot out!" He threw the rest out as Soubi laughed softly.

"It isn't funny!" Ritsuka yelled. "I can't get rid of the taste!"

"There are many ways to get rid of bad tastes."

Looking to the older male, eyes narrowing with wariness, Ritsuka said, "Are you saying something perverted again?"

"Not at all." His tone said otherwise and while not many would have been able to tell, Ritsuka has been around the man long enough to tell. "I'm just telling you that you there are ways to get rid of the taste is all."

"That sounds suspicious."

Soubi replied with another smile. Ritsuka thought it was more like a smirk but then again, Soubi never smirked. At least, not in situations like these.

"What are you going to tell the girl?"

"What girl?"

"The one that gave you that confession and the overly sweet chocolate."

"Oh." With a shrug, he answered, "Nothing. She doesn't really like me and besides, her chocolate was bad."

"I don't think that's a very good reason to turn a person down, Ritsuka," Soubi responded with a small chuckle. "That's a little mean."

Ritsuka didn't have a reply to that but instead took out the candy kisses Yuiko had given him and glowered.

"At least Yuiko knew when to give up."

"She tried to make homemade chocolate?"

Ritsuka nodded. "Yeah. But she gave me these store-bought chocolate kisses instead. I actually like these so I guess the day wasn't a total waste. I'm not going to try the other chocolates."

Soubi made some noncommittal sound, looking at the chocolate kisses before he turned his eyes to Ritsuka and holding out his hand.

"Can I have a kiss?"

Ritsuka had a feeling Soubi was up to some trick but his hand was outstretched and he had been eyeing the chocolates. It was just the older man never asked for anything and that was what Ritsuka found odd. Still, if Soubi just wanted a chocolate then Ritsuka couldn't see the harm. It wasn't much of a request.

But as soon as he placed the candy in his hand, Soubi had grabbed onto the smaller hand, pulling Ritsuka forward to meet him with a kiss.

"Soubi!" Ritsuka cried out, his hand covering his mouth as soon as the kiss ended. He looked around widly, hoping nobody had seen the display. "I knew you were going to do something weird! I knew it! And I told you not to lie to me anymore!"

"But Ritsuka," Soubi began, removing the foil from the chocolate treat and putting it into his mouth. "I was not lying. I wished for a kiss. Just in both terms."

The dark-haired boy frowned, his cat ears twitching in annoyance before he looked away, clutching his chocolates to his chest.

"You could have at least been a lot less corny."

"Some traditions cannot be broken, Ritsuka."

* * *

**Translation:** In case nobody knows, doki doki is the Japanese sound for a heart beating. It always makes me giggle so I include it in stories when I can.


End file.
